Free Almost Forever by Kathy Clark Page B

the middle. One room was vacant, one had a corpse draped under a white sheet, and the other contained Dr. Janet Maddox, chief medical examiner, standing next to a skeleton that had been neatly reassembled into the shape of a human.
    Janet, nearly six feet tall, jet black hair tied back in a long ponytail, wearing bright pink tennis shoes and a white regulation physician’s coat, turned to greet him.
    “Ten o’clock? Late night?” She smiled and set her instruments down on the tray.
    “Morning, Janet. And no…well, sort of, but not what you think.” He wasn’t going to share with her the X-rated dreams he’d had about Lori. He had awakened with a massive hard-on that took five minutes in a cold shower to dissipate. The rest of the night he tossed and turned, finally falling asleep just before dawn. At some point he must have hit the alarm, because it was turned off and he had overslept. But he didn’t owe Janet an explanation. Besides, he didn’t want to dwell on those dreams of a lithe, lovely, and totally naked Lori. “I’m on my way into the office. Damn, it’s cold in here.”
    “The bodies have to stay chilled to slow down decomposition. But I have a theory that cold temperatures make my body burn more calories. It’s better than a treadmill. Besides, no one comes in just to chat, so I can get a lot of work done. I suppose you’re here about Mr. Roberts?”
    “I am. What else do you know?”
    “Kudos to my techs. They got him all put back together again, just like Humpty Dumpty, except for the missing foot and finger. After all that time out in the elements, this is amazingly complete.”
    Justin stepped closer. Somehow the skeleton wasn’t as disgusting as human flesh.
    “I’ve been able to thoroughly examine the wound,” she continued as she grabbed three pieces of the skull and held them together, which highlighted a roundish area of missing bone. “The hole was created by a hard object like an aluminum baseball bat or a piece of pipe…except with sharp edges. Unfortunately, there’s nothing left that will give us any DNA from the killer.”
    “Great.” He just couldn’t catch a break on this case. “Anything else?”
    “No…well, yes. I can’t say for sure because I don’t know what the weapon was, but the damage around the hole in Mr. Roberts’s skull was relatively minor. It wasn’t shattered like it was a heavy blow…you know, like with a full swing.”
    “Sharp-edged baseball bat–like weapon, not swung too hard,” he repeated thoughtfully.
    “Ten-four, Justin.”
    “When will you be finished with Mr. Roberts’s remains?”
    “I’m finished with them except for a few more photos. I’ll box them up, and they can have them picked up later today.”
    “Thanks, Janet. I’ll let Mrs. Roberts know.”
    Justin’s office was on a different floor in the same building, so it took him only a few minutes to get there. He did a quick check of his voicemails and emails, then picked up his phone. His heart did a little skip beat when he heard Lori’s voice.
    “Lori, it’s Justin,” he spoke into his cellphone.
    “Hey, Justin. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
    “I dropped by the medical examiner’s office, and she said you can tell your funeral home to come by this afternoon.”
    “I’ll let them know. I spoke to them earlier, and I’ve decided to have the memorial service here at the winery on Saturday at two. Now I’ve got to get the word out. Thank goodness for the Internet.”
    She sounded distracted, understandably. He didn’t think this was the best moment to push, but he really did need to start the interview process. “I know you’ll be busy, but is it okay if I come back this afternoon and talk to your employees?”
    “Of course. I’ll tell them to expect you.”
    “I’d rather you didn’t. There’s a lot to be said for the element of surprise.”
    “Oh…right.”
    “Maybe I’ll see you while I’m there.”
Well, that sounded stupid
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